U.S. designates Mexican cartels, Tren de Aragua and others as foreign terrorist organizations
The designation opens the door for possible financial sanctions against the groups and those who are linked to them.
The U.S. State Department has designated Mexican drug cartels as well as MS-13 and the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua as foreign terrorist organizations, according to a document that is set to be published Thursday in the Federal Register.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed the designation, posted online for preview on Wednesday, which will open the door for possible financial sanctions against Tren de Aragua and Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) as well as the following drug cartels: Cartel de Sinaloa, Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, Carteles Unidos, Cartel del Noreste, Cartel del Golfo, and La Nueva Familia Michoacana.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office that paved the way for the designation, blaming the cartels for “a campaign of violence and terror throughout the Western Hemisphere that has not only destabilized countries with significant importance for our national interests but also flooded the United States with deadly drugs, violent criminals, and vicious gangs.”
According to the designation, dated Feb. 6, there is "sufficient factual basis" that finds the organizations engage in terrorist activity and threaten the security of U.S. nationals and/or the national security of the United States.
The formal move by the State Department raises questions about the timing of possible financial sanctions on the groups and those who are linked to them. The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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